About the Award:
The Paw Prints for Humanity Award, presented by Sampson’s Legacy Foundation, recognizes individuals whose leadership, advocacy, innovation, service, or actions have created meaningful and lasting change in the lives of people with disabilities.
The award carries forward the legacy of Sampson—a legacy built on perseverance, inclusion, advocacy, and challenging barriers once thought impossible to overcome. Throughout his life, Sampson helped open doors, change perceptions, and demonstrate what becomes possible when determination is met with opportunity and inclusion.
In that same spirit, the Paw Prints for Humanity Award honors people who see barriers and work to remove them; who challenge the status quo when it excludes others; and whose efforts create opportunities, greater independence, accessibility, understanding, and meaningful change.
It recognizes those whose work leaves a lasting paw print—not only on one person, but on communities and the world around them.
Who We Recognize:
Extraordinary impact does not require a particular title, profession, or position.
The Paw Prints for Humanity Award may recognize individuals from any profession, industry, organization, or community whose efforts have meaningfully advanced the lives and opportunities of people with disabilities.
Honorees may be advocates, educators, researchers, business or community leaders, innovators, healthcare professionals, policymakers, mentors, accessibility champions, or individuals who simply saw something that needed to change—and chose to do something about it.
We look beyond résumés and titles to recognize impact: barriers removed, opportunities created, attitudes changed, voices amplified, systems improved, and lives touched.
Nominations Are Open!
Help Us Recognize Someone Making a Difference:
Do you know someone whose work has changed lives, removed barriers, created opportunities, advanced accessibility, or helped build a more inclusive world for people with disabilities?
We want to hear their story.
Sampson’s Legacy Foundation is now accepting nominations for the Paw Prints for Humanity Award for 2026.
Nominees do not need to work exclusively within the disability community, nor does their impact need to come from a traditional disability advocacy role. We are looking for individuals whose actions demonstrate meaningful leadership, commitment, innovation, advocacy, or service—and whose work has made a difference.
Nominations close: Friday, November 6, 2026 at 11:59PM MST
Nominate Someone:
Someone's greatest contribution may never appear on a résumé, award list, or professional biography.
Sometimes it is found in the door they opened for someone else, the policy they changed, the barrier they refused to accept, the opportunity they created, or the people whose lives are different because they chose to act.
Help us recognize them.
Complete the nomination form below and tell us whose work deserves to leave its mark as part of Sampson's legacy.
Winners will be announced no later than: December 1, 2026
For the Paw Prints for Humanity Award Nomination Form Click on Link Below:
